DESERT RESEARCH INSTITUTE (DRI) (NEVADA)

The Desert Research Institute was created in 1959 by an act of the Nevada Legislature as a unit of the University of Nevada. When the University of Nevada System was formed in 1968, DRI became an autonomous, nonprofit division of this system. Since that time DRI has grown to be one of the world's largest multi-disciplinary environmental research organizations focusing on arid lands. The DRI operates from statewide facilities in Las Vegas, Reno, Stead, Laughlin, and Boulder City. The DRI's activities are directed from five research centers representing the Geosphere (Quaternary Sciences Center), Hydrosphere (Water Resources Center), Biosphere (Biological Sciences Center), and Atmosphere (Atmospheric Sciences Center and Energy and Environmental Engineering Center). Multi-disciplinary teams drawn from these centers are assembled to address basic and applied research problems on a project-by-project basis. Listed below are the DRI's five research centers and their primary mission statement: (1) Atmospheric Sciences Center (ASC): The ASC is a nationally recognized leader in the field of atmospheric sciences. The ASC's mission is to improve the fundamental understanding of the earth's atmosphere, particularly as it relates to the weather and to the climate of arid regions. The ASC is the home of the strongest atmospheric modification research program in the United States. (2) Biological Sciences Center (BSC): The BSC focuses on plant and soil biology from an ecological perspective. The BSC's mission is to improve the fundamental understanding of the earth's biosphere, thereby providing the knowledge needed to effectively manage biological resources important to the future use and habitation of the earth. (3) Energy and Environmental Engineering Center (EEEC): The EEEC largely conducts air resources research. The EEEC's mission is to conduct high-quality research to understand current and future human impacts on the environment, especially air quality, an the technology that can be applied to mitigate these impacts. (4) Quaternary Sciences Center (QSC): The QSC is one of approximately 15 Quaternary research programs worldwide. The QSC's mission is to improve the fundamental understanding of past climates and associated environmental responses and human adaptations to climate change during the Quaternary Period (covering the last 1.8 million years). V (5) Water Resources Center (WRC): The WRC is the largest water research group focused on arid lands in the United States. The WRC's mission to improve the fundamental understanding and knowledge of hydrologic systems, with special emphasis on arid lands, for more effective management of hydrologic resources. (See Appendix D-6 for a more complete listing of the DRI's major laboratories operated and the principal skills and activities supported.)